Calver Mill and Weir

This week we went to the village of Calver to have a look at the famous Mill. We went in Geoff's new car and  parked just opposite the school in a lay by. Geoff has had another Ford Focus and its the same colour as his old one.
It was a pleasant start to the day with a lie in due to the clocks changing. We walked past the school, the church and the Bridge pub before taking the footpath just before the bridge.
The footpath took us behind the Mill and then across fields to Stocking Farm which  has an unusual building with a bell tower on top, it looks like an old church. In the early 19th century, an upper room in the barn was used for religious services and later, it was also utilised as a school. When All Saints Church was consecrated in 1868, services were transferred and a few years later, the barn lost its school and bell.

Geoff's new car

A very picturesque Bridge Inn

Hungry calf getting its breakfast

Stocking Farm with its unusual bell tower.

Stocking Farm. In the early 19th century, an upper room in the barn was used for religious services and later, it was also utilised as a school. When All Saints Church was consecrated in 1868, services were transferred and a few years later, the barn lost its school and bell.

Rob & Ike with Curbar Edge above the tree's.

This is part of the mill race to provide water for Calver mill

Overlooking the weir from New Bridge with Curbar Edge in the background.

Reflections in the River Derwent.

Turmoil on the slope of the weir.

Calver Marshes is a part of the Calver Weir restoration project.

The 3 wise men?

Ike found a nice seat in the sun.

Lovely footpath alongside the river Derwent

This is the bridge leading into the village of Froggatt where we stated last week.

Another shot of  the bridge at Froggatt.

I think these two have had an argument and they re not speaking to each other.

This was in a private garden

This house was on Under the Hammer TV program not long ago.

Reflections on top of the weir

Calver Weir

Calver Weir

Breakfast time overlooking the weir.

More turmoil on the water.

River Derwent

Ike

Rob

Siddalls Well next to the road. SIDDALL has long been a common name in Curbar and surrounds. Several children of an Antonious (Anthony) Siddall were recorded as being baptised in Baslow in the 1600s. One Siddall family farmed for several generations in Curbar, and their fields apparently played an important role in Derbyshire history. In 2003 Kenneth Siddall of Fence Farm, Sheffield (a great-grandson of John Siddall), located and restored the old overgrown well still referred to by locals as "Siddall's Well", and placed a carved stone plaque in commemoration.

Rapids near to the Calver Mill

It was only after the first bridge had been built across the Derwent and lead mining became popular, that the village began to take shape from an isolated community of scattered dwellings. In 1778, a small mill was built close to the new bridge and this was soon followed by the building of a much larger water-powered cotton mill. The second building was destroyed and replaced by the impressive seven-storey granite building that still remains today. No longer used for industry, it has been converted into luxury apartments. The Mill achieved national recognition shortly after the Second World War, when it was featured as ‘Colditz,’ the notorious German POW camp, in a popular television series. During the series the swastika flew high above the mill, but no one was fooled. This was not the case during the war itself, when lights were lit on the moors nearby, fooling the German bomber pilots into thinking that Sheffield lay below and releasing their loads harmlessly onto the moors.  

All Saints Church

This was another cracking little walk through glorious Derbyshire scenery alongside the River Derwent. Once again very lucky with the weather, the rain started when we were on our way back home. The Calver Mill is a fantastic building complex but is very difficult to get a decent image because of all the tree's blocking the view.
That's it for this week
Cheers

Odd Boots & Froggatt Bridge

Froggatt Bridge is a late 17th Century grade 11 listed building.

After missing last week due to the miserable weather we were eager to get out and about, Geoff thought we should keep to a decent footpath because everything would be wet and soggy. We headed out to Froggatt to amble along the lower footpath from the village to Grindleford. 

We parked in the village got the rucksacks and boots out, that's when Ike realised he had 2 ODD BOOTS, fortunately they were a left and right boot. (He later rang Angela and she told him there was an identical pair at home!!!). The village of Froggatt is situated beneath the gritstone escarpment of Froggatt Edge, on the well wooded banks of the River Derwent, between the villages of Grindleford and Calver in Derbyshire. The name Froggatt probably derives from the fact that there were originally 17 fresh water springs situated in the village, three of which can still be seen. 

Geoff had previously walked this old packhorse route 20 years ago and remembered that it was part paved.

The track took us though open country where we had to cross a few fields which were quite wet. One of the fields had quite an accumulation of mud and water at the bottom of a slope, some of us went "upstream" of the boggy area but Geoff thought he could navigate across it, BIG MISTAKE, he ended up past his ankles in lovely mud.

We went into Froggatt Wood and part way through it found a lovely little slab bridge over a stream, Geoff immediately went into it and cleaned off the mud from his boots and trousers. 

We carried on and came across another lovely glade with a pool and stream running through it, the light was crap for photos but i wedged the camera against a tree to steady it for a couple of pics. After we came out of  these  woods with a strange name of Horse Hay Coppice we had to cross another stream and then onto Grindleford bridge. We stopped and had breakfast at the sports field on the other side of the bridge.

Ike with his odd boots on

Geoff & Ike on the slab bridge

Stream & pool in Horse Hay Coppice

Lovely paved track

Add caption

Grindleford Bridge

Breakfast in style with proper seats!!!

The route back to the car was through the village of Grindleford along the B6521, B6001 past Stoke Hall and then back to Froggatt village.

View downstream from Grindleford bridge

This is called BELL INN COTTAGE

Grindleford Model Laundry built on the site of a former Tannery

Behind Grindleford Laundry

Just like this little chap in a front garden in Grindleford

Seat in the grounds of Stoke Hall

This is the old Toll House

View to Froggatt Edges

Giant steps down from Froggatt Bridge

Froggatt Bridge is a late 17^th century grade 11 listed building with 2 types of arches..

Its fungi and not an alien UFO

View downstream from Froggatt Bridge

The village post box (A GR)

Back at my car and off to Calver

We got back to the car and called into the boot shop in Calver where our Rob had himself a new pair of boots. So its a competition next week as to who's got the shiniest boots.
See you next week
Cheers